Addressing single molecules on DNA nanostructures

Abstract

The synthesis of devices and materials from molecular components is a major goal of nanotechnology. Although many such molecular components have been demonstrated previously,1–3 the ability to combine these components into designed architectures containing significant complexity remains a challenge. By using the hybridization properties of DNA and Watson–Crick base pairing, it has been possible to create well-defined DNA architectures of increasing complexity.4 The structure of an assembled DNA complex is directly and uniquely determined by the sequence of the DNA bases, which can be designed and manipulated. These methods provide a versatile and programmable way to control the structure and architecture of DNA nanostructures.